Electric train-signaling apparatus



' UNITED STATESy OFFICE y -JoHN 'RIDE MIER, on LAS CRUCES, TERRITORY CFNEW MEXICO(`4` ELECTRIC TRAIN-SIGNALING APPARATUS.

y SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersratent No. 381,344, dated April 1v, 18a e..r l f Application filed March 1o, ieee.l senti nements. (No model.) 'i

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JCHNR. DE MIER, a Citizen of the United States, residing at Las Cruces, inthe county ofy Doa Aa and Terri- 5 tory of New Mexico, have invented certain.

new and useful Improvements 'in Electric Train-Signaling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex'- actdescription of lthe invention, such as will pertains to make and use the same.

v ,This invention relates -to a novel circuit opening and closing device appliedon the condnctors pull-rope, and combined with theV In the accompanying drawings, Figurel isV a diagrammatical plan View of atrain of cars, 5 showing ordinary electric signaling mechanism-viz., battery, alarm-bells, and circuit opening and closing couplingsp'rovided in the usual manner upon different portions of they train-and also showing'the rear or special car 3o vprovided with the improved pull-rope circuitclosing device and an ordinary circuit opening and closing coupling, with an end contactportionadded to it. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of aspecial car and the pullrope circuit-closing device, showing also an ordinary circuit opening and closing coupling, partly in section, furnished with an end contact portion adapted for use with the pull-rope circuit opener and closer. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pull-rope circuit opener and closer 'with the sustaining spring-bars vleftpoit, and showing also a horizontal longitudinal section of another ordinary circuit opening'and Vclosing electric coupling provided with the rear 45 vend Contact portion. Fig.- 4 is a section of one part of the electric coupling shown in Fig. 3; f and Fig.5is another diagrammatical plan illustrating the way in which all the passenger-cars of va train might be furnished with the iin-y proved pull-rope circuit opening and closing enable others skilled in the art to which it'ap'-` with Ythe ordinary electric circuit opening and closing couplings. e v A in t-heaccompanyingdrawings represents y a locomotive; B, a tender,y and C Opassenger-j55 carsequipped with electric signaling apparatus; and D is a special car not so'equipped. An electric battery, E, connected with lan alarn1-bell, E', by Velectric-circuit wiresv X X,

is applied on the locomotive inthe engineers 50l l cab. The cars C'C are electrically coupled by# 'means'of couplings such as F F', (shown inl v'Fig.`2,) or by couplings such as F2 F3. (Shown in Figs. 3 and 4.) The coupling F Fisthe'. il saine in construction and'operation as thatlde- 65 scribed and. shown `in my application filed on A vthe 9th dayof June, 1887, No. 240,780', and-on. which apatent was allowed November 12,188.7, excepting the addition thereto ofthe rear end Contact portion,F, and thepcoupling shownlin 70 Figs.- Sand 4issubstantially the same, exceptv ling the addition thereto of the said rearend.

liiange, c, fastened to a non-conducting plug,

b', of the rear contact end portion, .F25 If the circuit-wires X X should be carried-through 85 l the conductors pull-rope of the car D',the ends Yof said wires are turned towardthe plates afaz,

respectively, as'shown in Figf3, thus making i electrical connection vwith the coupling'between thecars. '9o

' The tube G is provided with another flange, c', and is placed within another tube, G', also provided with lianges c2 c3, and between thesel tubes, bearing against the flange cand the iiange c', by which the tube Gis conned tothe 95 contact `end portion, F4, a spiral spring, H, is f fitted loosely. The tube G slides freely in the -I tube G', and is vkept by means of the Yspring with its flange cbearingagainst iiange @,while f said spring, by pressingy .against` the flanged, roo screwed to end contact portion, F, keeps the spiralspri'ng contact ,a at the proper distance from the flange c3, while the flange c2 prevents the tube G from being moved too far forward.

The tube G is fitted in the ordinary bell-rope eyes, d d, secured in the end walls, ff, ofthe cars, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and may be steadied or firmly sustained in a central position by means of iiat longitudinal springs gg, as shown in said figure.

In the drawings, Figs. 3 and 4, the circuit opening and closing spring h has its non-conducting buttonsheathed with metal, h', in order to keep it from wearing down too rapidly, and the other circuit opening and closing spring, h", has a rest-pin, l, provided for its free end to bear upon when the circuit is closed. I simply mention these particulars,as they are slight mechanical differences (immaterial, however) from the construction shown in the aforesaid patent of Tiffany and De Mier.

In operating with my present invention it will be understood that the conductor can signal from the special car D to the engineer by pulling the rope X3 in said special car, as by this act the tube G and coupling F F or F2 F,

accordingly as one or the other is adopted, be-

tween the special car and a regular car, are moved toward the special c ar until the spiralspring contact devices a come in contact with the metallic conducting-flange c3, thereby closing the circuit and giving thcsignal. Assoon as the rope is released the parts, by the action of the spiral spring H, are returnedv to their normal positions and the circuit opened.

Operation: The operation of couplings for opening and closing the circuit is the same as ordinary, the circuit being opened by the act of inserting the part F into the part F, or by inserting part F2 into part F3 the circuit is opened, and by separating said parts the circuit is closed and a continuous alarm sounded in the engineers cab. The instrumentalities by which the opening and closing of the circuit by coupling and uncoupling of cars, as herein mentioned, are eiected may be of any ordinary suitable construction, or the same as shown and described in my aforesaid application and the aforesaid patent of Tiffany and De Mier, and they form no part of my present claim, and therefore those shown may have others substituted for them without changing the principle of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In an electric train-signaling apparatus, the combination, with an electric coupling between cars, of the end contact portion, F, provided with the spring-contact devicea and attached to the portion F of said coupling` the conductors pull-rope, the flanged tubes G G', and the tension spring H, said tubes and spring being supported by thecar and one of the tubes connected to the coupling between the cars, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an electric trainsignaling apparatus, the combination, with the electric coupling between the cars, of a contact end portion, F, provided with contactsp rings a,and having an electrical conducting pullrope and av flanged tube, G, attached to it, the flanged tube G, and spiral spring H, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the curved dat springbars, the eyes d d of car-walls, the stationary flanged tube G', sliding flanged tube G, tension' spring H, conductors pull-rope X3, and coupling between ears provided with Contact end portion, F4, having spring-contacts, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. DE MIER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD T. FENwroK, W. l?. BELL. 

